Christine Kelly, UK

“Smell training with essential oils as a therapeutic technique for patients who have experienced post-viral anosmia”

Chris Kelly is an olfactory therapist working with patients who have experienced post-viral smell loss. Her journey began in 2012 when she became fully anosmic in after a viral infection. Since then, she has been investigating smell training. She is a member of Fifth Sense, the first charity in the UK for people with taste and smell disorders, where she advises on smell training. In 2016 she visited the Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia to hold the first smell training workshop for recovering anosmics. The technique known as "smell training" was first described in the scientific literature in 2009 and since then, over a dozen peer-reviewed research papers have investigated this technique, finding it useful for supporting natural recovery from post-infectious anosmia. The technique uses essential oils as a way of stimulating the olfactory complex. Research shows that regeneration of olfactory receptors is activity dependent--it is the active smelling of the essential oils which supports recovery. Chris has an informative website that actively guides and supports people with anosmia.